Switch-point-throwing mechanism.



E. F. WIEDERHOLDT.

SWITCH POINT TBROWING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 20, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOonAmI CDHWASIIINGTOPL n. C.

ERNEST F. WIEDERHOLDT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SWITCH-POINT-THROWING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

| I Application filed May 20, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 628,466.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST F. WIEDnR- HOLDT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have inventeda certain new anduseful Improvement in Switch-Point-Throwing Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis. specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of acar track having a movable switch point, and showing my improved switchpoint throwing mechanism in connection therewlth, the cover plate forsaid switch belng removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved switchpoint throwing mechanism with the parts shifted into the positionsassumed when the switch point is thrown so as to cause the car wheels totake the main track rails. Fig. 3 is a vertical section takenapproximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a plan view of thecover plate used in connection with my improved switch point throwingmechanism.

My invention relates to mechanism utilized for shifting the movableswitch points of car tracks, and which mechanism is located immediatelyadjacent one of the track rails, and is operated by suitable meanslocated on the car, and manipulated by the motorman or car driver.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple inexpensive mechanism,comprising a minimum number of parts, which can readily be installed,and the top of which apparatus lies flush with the surface of the groundor the pavement, and therefore, offers no obstruction to generaltraflic.

Another object of my invention is to provide a switch point throwingmechanism, which can be shifted or thrown in either direction by simplemeans located on the car Referring by numerals to the accompany ingdrawings 1 and 2 designate the main track rails, and leading therefromin the usual manner are the side track rails 3 and 4.

5 designates the movable switch point of usual construction, which ispivotally mounted at its rear end in the usual manner, so that itsforward end or point is adapted to shift laterally to cause the carwheels to traverse the main track rails or to pass onto the switch rails3 and 4.

6 designates a plate which is located beneath the surface of the groundor pavement immediately adjacent the main track rail 1, in front of themovable switch point 5, and formed in the top of said plate is alongitudinally disposed groove or recess 7. Located within this grooveor recess 7 is a lever 8 fulcrumed at 9, and pivotally connected to therear end of this lever is a transversely disposed link 10, which extendstherefore, projects a short distance in front of the front end of saidplate 6. Formed in the top of the plate 11 is a longitudinally extendinggroove 12, and at the central portion of said plate 11 this groove iswidened to form a pocket or recess 13. Arranged within this pocket orrecess 13 is a longitudinally disposed lever 14 which is adapted to beshifted from one side of said pocket or recess to the other, and seatedin the rear end of this lever 14: is a pin 15, which projects downwardthrough a transverse slot 16 formed through the plate 11, and the lowerend of said pin is pivotally connected to the forward end of the lever8.

17 designates a pin seated in the under side of the lever 14, which pinprojects downward through a transverse slot 18 formed through the plate11, at a point near the center of the pocket or recess 13. A cover plate19 formed in two parts, and having a roughened or corrugated top surfaceis fixed on top of the plate 11 in any suitable manner, and the slot orspace between the two parts of this cover plate coincides with thegroove 12 formed in the plate 11. The means employed for shifting thelever 14 and consequently shifting the switch point 5 consists in awedge or tongue 20 carried by a frame 21, which latter is hinged to theunder side of the car platform 22, and said frame is adapted to bedepressed by a plunger 23, which is normally held in an elevatedposition by means of a spring 24.

As seen in Fig. l the movable switch point 5 is so positioned as tocause the car wheels to pass onto the rails 3 and 4 of the switch orturn out, and when the motorman or driver of a car approaching themovable switch point desires to shift the same to cause the car wheelsto traverse the main track rails the plunger 23 is moved downward bymeans of foot pressure, thereby moving the frame 21 carrying the wedgeor tongue 20, downward, and said wedge or tongue passes through the slotor space beyond the two parts of the cover plate, and enters the groove12 in the plate 11. As the car moves forward toward the movable switchpoint, the wedge or tongue 20 traversing the groove 12 strikes againstthe side I of the lever 14, and as a result of such engagement and thecontinued forward movement of the wedge of tongue 20, said lever 14 isshifted laterally in the recess or pocket 13 until its position isreversed, and as a result of this shifting movement of said lever, thelever 8 is swung upon its fulcrum,

thereby moving the link 10 laterally a short distance and consequentlyshift-ing the position of the forward portion of the movable switchpoint so that the car wheels in passing over said movable switch pointwill maintain their positions upon their main track rails. During theshifting movement of the lever 14 the pins 15 and 17 traverse the slots16 and 18, and when the wedge or tongue 20 leaves the rear end of thelever 14 the forward end of said lever has been moved into properposition to be engaged by .a succeeding car which is to be switched ontothe side track or turn out. By locating the lower end of the pin 17 in atransversely disposed slot, a movable fulcrum is provided for the lever14, and thus said lever can be shifted bodily by the wedge or f tongue20 engaging against the side thereof to reverse the position of saidlever, and set its forward end in proper position to be engaged by theswitch point actuating means carried by a succeeding car. the lever 14is engaged by the Wedge or tongue 20 it is shifted bodily from one sideof the recess 13 to the other, thus permitting the wedge or tongue'totravel in a straightline from one of the grooves 12 to the other,

and for this reason, and for :the reason that v the lever 14 aftermovement is in proper When position to receive the actuating meanscarried by a succeeding car, it is only necessary to provide one plungeror actuating member onthe car platform, and thus the movable switchpoint is thrown in both directions by one and the same movement of thesingle actuating member on the car platform. .If desired a small wheelor roller can be positioned on the lower end of the plunger 23, andwhich wheel or roller performs the same function as the wedge or tongue20. If for any reason the actuating parts on the car platform becomebroken or are rendered inoperative the movable switch point 5 canreadily be shifted'as desired with the ordinary switchpoint turning bar,usually carried on the car platform or dash board.

A switch point actuating mechanism of my improved construction iscomparatively simple, can be readily installed, is particularly adaptedfor use in connection with street railways, and by its use much time andlabor is saved in the throwing of the movable switch points.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a movableswitch point, of a plate located adjacent said switch point, in whichplate is formed a recess, a lever fulcrumed on said plate within saidrecess, one end of which lever is connected to the movable switch point,a second plate overlying the first-mentioned plate in whichsecond-mentioned plate is formed a longitudinally disposed groove havinga widened portion, a second lever positioned in the widened portion ofthe groove and adapted to be moved bodily by means carried by a car,said second-mentioned plate being provided with a pair of transverselydisposed slots in the widened portion of the groove, a pivot pin passingthrough one of the slots and connecting the corresponding ends of thetwo levers and a pin seated in the secondmentioned lever and extendingdownward into the other one of the transverse slots for limiting thetransverse movement of sai second-mentioned lever.

2. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a movableswitch point, of a plate located adjacent said switch point, in whichplate is formed a recess, a

lever fulcrumed on said plate within said recess, one end of which leveris connected to the movable switch point, a second plate overlying thefirst-mentioned plate in which second-mentioned plate is formed a longi-1 pin passing through one of the slots and In testimony whereof Ihereunto afiix my connecting the corresponding ends of the signature inthe presence of two witnesses, two levers and a pin seated in thesecondthis 15th day of May, 1911.

mentioned lever and cover plate formed in ERNEST F. WIEDERHOLDT. 5 twoparts and mounted upon the second- WVitnesses:

mentioned plate on opposite sides of the slot M. P. SMITH,

therein. B. S. REID.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

. t 1 1 Washington, D. 0. p p

